Book Review: First Time Dead 2 edited by TW Brown

The second volume in May December Publications series of first-time zombie writers is filled from the first to the last with twelve strong stories of zombie madness. What I liked about this collection -- and another reviewer mentioned it, as well -- none of the stories focuses attention on where the zombies came from, who to blame or how to stop their spreading around the world. Instead, we are presented with tales of survival: in the form of a personal blog giving an account of events in Puerto Rico (Zombies in Puerto Rico: Island of the Dead by Alexandro Rios), a group of survivors who took to the sewers as a means of escape (The Mission by Eric Pollarine), or even a family believing that locking themselves behind the doors of their own home will protect them (Rude Awakening by David Maynard), among others. Even with the more traditional zombie tales, First Time Dead 2 throws a few curve balls to make the reader look at the undead in a new light: comic relief from a hungry zombie who lost his dentures shortly before dying and re-animating (The Hungriest Zombie by Jason Thacker), a detective who uncovers the secret of what happens when the living eat the flesh of the undead (Zombie By Night by Aaron Phillips), and a band that will stop at nothing to make sure their golden voice makes it to the next show (Once More Without Feelings by Joe Blevins).

First Time Dead 2 presents a great showcase of up-and-coming zombie writers. Get it now so you can say that you read them "before they were stars".